Latest developments on covid-19's impacts for 2020 ITSF season

Dear Players,

As everyone knows, the world is going through a serious crisis and it comes as no surprise that Table Soccer’s global organisation is also affected.

Solutions have been examined but despite everyone's best intentions, it has been concluded that the 2020 World Series by Bonzini would not be postponed but cancelled, World Series by Garlando is also cancelled for same reasons.

As many worlds’ areas, the north of Italy is particularly affected by the covid-19 pandemic. It will take a long time to recover psychologically and financially. For those reasons, the Italian Federation (FPICB) is going to cancel the 2020 World Series by Roberto Sport.

This decision leads to the cancellation of the ITSF European Champions League, that was planned to be held in Italy. The cancellation is also due to the fact that many countries won’t be able to reach the team qualification requirements for this competition.

A decision regarding 2020 ITSF World Series by Leonhart will be made in a few weeks.

At the present time, the ITSF is carefully analysing possible scenarios to adjust sporting processes. Depending on how long the situation continues and how many tournament are finally cancelled, decisions may affect 2020 World Ranking and World Championships qualifications. We are working on all scenarios to protect players, federations, organisers and partners. We will aim to make adjustments depending on the situation on each continent.

However, those particular circumstances shall not prevent us to continue the development of our sport and to pursue our goals.

The Global Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF) has taken a further step to support Observer Members in their journey toward IOC recognition by issuing an official letter, which encourages National Olympic Committees and National Sport Authorities to work closer with Table Soccer National Federations.

In order to further our goal toward sport recognition, we will need to improve the fieldwork, bringing appropriate tools for national federations to improve the level of professionalism in our sport.

Let us seize this opportunity to focus on local to continental foosball development and work to launch the “ITSF World Foosball Centres”. These centres are meant as a relay of the ITSF on each continent. Set up and managed in cooperation between National Federations, the centres will pool expertise, experience and resources. They will be dedicated to developing new projects as well as to organise training sessions, meetings and camps about various subjects from technical to managerial skills. To ensure their excellence, the ITSF World Centres will receive specific support from the ITSF, delivered case by case according to their needs and foosball development project.

In the coming weeks, ITSF representatives will contact presidents of National Federations to get into the details of this program and to take stock of each particular situation.

We are grateful to our National Federations and to the fooser community for your understanding and swift collaboration during those difficult times.